Policy Summary
It is the policy of the University of California, Berkeley to establish philanthropic gift funds capitalized by donors at the following levels effective July 1, 2017:
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Current Use Discretionary or restricted support for any purpose. |
$25,000 |
Endowment – General
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Chancellor’s Endowment Discretionary support for the Chancellor. |
$100,000 |
|
Dean’s/Chair’s/Director’s Endowment Discretionary support for a dean, department chair, or program director. May also be used to support student research travel costs or stipends if the annual distribution from the endowment will be sufficient to fund the award. |
$100,000 |
|
Programmatic Endowment Support for a specific use by a school, college, division, department, institute, center or program. Visiting professorships are generally considered programmatic endowments. |
$250,000 |
Endowment – Undergraduate Scholarships
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Scholarship Partial support for one/multiple student(s). The donor may state a preference, awarded when possible, that the student(s) possess an attribute such as field of study, participation as a student-athlete in a specific sport, or another broad student characteristic. |
$100,000 |
|
Targeted Scholarship Partial support for one/multiple student(s). The donor may state a single restriction that the student(s) possess an attribute such as field of study, participation as a student-athlete in a specific sport, or another broad student characteristic. The donor may also state a single preference, awarded when possible; in the case of an athletics restriction, the preference could be for the position played. |
$250,000 |
|
Highly Targeted Scholarship Partial support for one/multiple student(s). The donor may state a single restriction that the student(s) possess an attribute such as field of study, participation as a student-athlete in a specific sport, or another broad student characteristic. The donor may also state multiple preferences, awarded when possible. |
$500,000 |
Endowment – Graduate Fellowships
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Master’s Program Fellowship Financial support for the education of one or more master’s level or equivalent student(s). The donor may state a restriction that the student(s) be in a specific school/college/division/ department/program, as well as a preference for a broad student characteristic. |
$250,000 |
|
Doctoral Program Fellowship Financial support for the education and research of one or more Ph.D. student(s). The donor may state a restriction that the student(s) be in a specific school /college/division/department/program, as well as a preference for a broad student characteristic. |
$1,000,000 |
|
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Financial support for the research and expenses of a postdoctoral researcher. The donor may state a restriction that the researcher(s) be in a specific school /college/division/department/program, as well as a preference for a broad researcher characteristic. |
$1,000,000 |
Endowment – Faculty
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Professor of Practice Salary support for faculty with the working title of Professor of Practice. |
$1,000,000 |
|
Professorship Partial salary support, as well as funds for research, teaching, and other purposes, for an assistant professor and other academic titles. Professorships are renewable and contingent on reappointment. |
$1,000,000 |
|
Early Career Chair Partial salary support, as well as funds for research, teaching, and other purposes, for an associate professor. Early career chairs are non-renewable and chairholders complete the chair term if they achieve full professorship during the term. |
$2,000,000 |
|
Chair Partial salary support, as well as funds for research, teaching, and other purposes, for a full professor. Chairs are renewable and contingent on reappointment. |
$3,000,000 |
|
Administrative Chair Support for the school /college/department/institute/center. Chairs for deans would generally be established at a level significantly higher than the minimum. |
$3,000,000 |
|
Chancellor’s Chair (FTE Endowment) “Full” salary support for a non-tenured faculty member (the FTE line) and funds for research, teaching, and other purposes for a tenured professor. Note that approval of the new FTE line must be secured through the normal process. |
$6,000,000 |
Endowment – Other Positions
|
Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Librarian, Program Director, Curator, Coach Support for the program. Endowments for the chief position in each area (e.g., University Librarian, BAMPFA Director, and Head Coach) would generally be established at a level significantly higher than the minimum. |
$1,000,000 |
Endowment – Centers and Institutes
|
Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Center Support for the naming and ongoing operations of a center. |
$5,000,000 |
|
Institute Support for the naming and ongoing operations of an institute. |
$10,000,000 |
Term Endowment
| Type of Philanthropic Gift Fund | Minimum Funding |
|---|---|
|
Term Endowment Term endowments are best used as start-up and/or support money for new programs and during early stages of implementation and evaluation. This provides for stable funding while not committing perpetual funding to something that might not endure. Term endowments may also be used to support scholarships and fellowships, but may not be used to support faculty endowments (professorships, chairs). |
$250,000 |
These minimum funding levels are just that, minima. For certain types of funds, including endowments that support programs, faculty FTE lines, other positions, centers, and institutes, the expectation is that an annual payout requirement dictated by the budget for the position, center, or institute, will drive the capitalization figure for the fund.
Exceptions to this Policy
Endowments may be established at lower levels if they are being funded with bequests and in order to comply with the University of California Administrative Guidelines for Allocation, Reallocation and Administration of Gifts and Bequests Received by The Regents and the Campus Foundations.
Other exceptions for endowments may be made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Chancellor. Exceptions for current use funds may be made on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of University Development and Alumni Relations.
Scope of Policy
This policy affects:
- Fundraisers
- Staff responsible for processing gifts and managing gift funds
- Staff responsible for administering undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and professorships/chairs
- Faculty
Why We Have This Policy
As the University’s financial model continues to evolve, the campus has an increased need to raise private support. Endowment minima are necessary to ensure that endowments provide an adequate level of annual support for the people and programs they are intended to fund.
Procedures
Procedures that control the creation and administration of endowments can be found on Eureka, the campus’s advancement intranet (http://eureka.berkeley.edu).
Responsibilities
University Development and Alumni Relations: Document and create philanthropic gifts funds funded at these levels.
Glossary
- Current Use: A type of philanthropic gift fund that is intended to be used to fund current operations.
- Endowment (or true endowment): A type of philanthropic gift fund that is invested so that a purpose can be supported in perpetuity.
- Philanthropic Gift: A contribution to the University intended as a donation and bestowed voluntarily and without expectation of tangible compensation.
- Philanthropic Gift Fund: A fund established for the purposes of recording philanthropic gifts to be used for a specific purpose.
- Term Endowment: A type of philanthropic gift funds that is invested and used to support a purpose for a specified, and generally relatively short, period of time.
Revision History
July 1, 2021
The name of the responsible office was updated to reflect a changed organizational structure in University Development and Alumni Relations.
The addition of the Professor of Practice gift opportunity. This addition was endorsed by the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost in November 2018 following endorsement by the Council of Deans.